Car-replacer.



Z. B. SMITH.

GAR REPLAOER.

APPLICATION PILED we. 11, 1913.

Patented Sept. 1. 191i awueutoz @5 W FRI/R W WW,

IHE )voRR/s PEYERs co" PHOTO LITHON wAsunvumN. D. C.

sired the ends of similar replacers may abut To all whom it may concern: 9

Virginia,

placer said replacer in position; means forprevent- Y UNITED STATES rA'rEN'ro FioE, L

zEBULoiv B. SMITH, or ELIZABET cITY :GOUNTSZ, vine'r vinf I oAn-nEr-Lnonit.

Be it known that I, ZEBULON B. SMITH a citizen of the UnitedStates, residing in; the county of Elizabeth City and State .of I have invented new and useful. Inn-- provements in Car-Replacers. of which-the following is a specification;

This invention relates to a car replacer: and has for its object to provide an improved implement by meansof; which de-; railed cars may which possesses advantages not; heretofore be returned to the track, and

found in devices of this character. Among these advantages maybe mentioned its sim-l plicity both in design and construction, it being possible to form the device in great part between rolls in long bars and cut the bars into lengths to be afterward finishedy the ability to use the replacer on either side of the track, the two sides of the replacer being' alike; the employment ofa reversible fastening means which may be applied-to either side of the replacer to connect the resecurely to a track rail for holding ing'wheels either flanged or flangeless from leaving the replacer after passing thereonto,

. and means for connecting two or more replacers endwise or in tandem to provide a temporary track when desired, of'greater; length than the replacer.

lVith the above objects in view the invention consists of the novel constructionand arrangement of parts hereinafter described, pointed out in the appended claims, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which, s I

Figure 1 is a plan view of the improved car repl'acer in position on one rail of a railway track. Fig. 21s a side elevation of thesame. Fig. 3 is a longitudinal vertical sec tion of the carreplacer. Fig. 4 is a transverse section on the, line H, Fig. 1. Fig. 5 1s a similar vlew on the line 5-5, Fig. 1.

Fig. 6 is a plan view showing a plurality. of

car replacers arranged in .tandem and con-1 nected together, and Fig. 7 is a detailview of the connection.

the car replacer, the sides of which J are straight and parallel from one end to the. other, said ends being cut oifsqu'arely and perpendicular to the sides, so that when dewithout projections except at one end,

, Specification of Letters Patentf PatentedSe1)t. 1,1914. Application fiieaau ustu, 191a swarm. "234,181. 1

will be called thefo'rward end, frorn which end dependtwo lugs 11 preferably riveted to the body and spao ed"apart as shown to straddle, the head of a railA when placed end of the replacer is preferably bent at an having'parallel sides as shown, upon the rib 12 the tread of the wheels to be replaced will run. Spaced from said rib and projecting f upwardly fromthe body 10 on each side is flange 13, said fiangesbeing of-equal length with the rib and lying parallel thereto, the

'P sitiOn to replace 3 cars The forward:

angle to the main portion of the body so as to lie fiat upon the rail A when placed theresurface of the body '10is 70, extending fromend to end of' the body and up er edges of said flanges however being in g a igher plane than the top of the rib as M;

clearly shown in Fig.2. The forward end ofv therib 12is tapered downwardly at 14; to permit the tread .of the wheel running smoothly from the replacer onto the track. One or the other of the grooves 15 between the rib 12 and flanges13 receives-the flange of the wheel as itlruns along the rib 12. A.

suitable distance back from the forward end openings is passed a bolt 0r threaded bar 18 having an enlarged head adapted to fit the inner portion of ,the countersink l7 and providedon' its outer end with a nut 19.

Between, the nut 19 and the car replacer is a clamplng jaw'QO preferably L-shaped in of the car replacer the ribs 13 are thickened. at 16, and through each of said thickened l cross-section'adapted to extend beneath and engage the headof the rail A and be firmly clamped theretor'by the nut 19 for the purpose of holding the car replacer in proper relation with therailwhen in operative position and prevent'lateralmovement of the I l replacer un'der sidestrain of the car wheel in In thedrawings, 10 indicates the body of passing thereover'. The. outer' countersunk portion; 17 is to permit the bolt or bar. 18

andplaced in ,the ,openinginthe other.

flange. This lateralmovement of the bolt or bar is necessary in order'that the head thereof may pass above therib In use the rear end of the replacer is placed against the wheel of the car to be returned to the track and pushed thereunder as far as possible, the rib 12 and one of the of one of the rails A. The clamping jaw 20 is moved into position against the head of the rail and the nut 19 screwed up tightly, thereby firmly securing the replacer in position so that the car wheel the same to the track.

car replacer are alike and thatthe rib 12,

flanges 13 and'groove 15 all lie parallel.

Furthermore the bolt or threaded bar 18 with its clamping jaw 20 may be employed on either side of the car replacer, thus enabling the implement being used on either side of the track and avoiding the expense and trouble of providing two different devices for the purpose. By making the flanges'13 project above the rib 12, flangeless wheels traveling along the rib are prevented by said flanges from running 01f the replacer, and for the same reason should a flanged wheel ride up on the rib 12, the projecting flanges 13 would retain said Wheel onthe replacer as said flanges extend sufficiently high for the purpose.

' On some occasions it may happen that the car replacer is not sufliciently long for the purpose desired, but owing to the peculiar construction of the majority. of car replacers, it is not possible to place two or more of them in line to form a temporary track. In the present invention however owing to the similarity of both ends of the replacer, any number of them may be-placed in line with their ends abutting as shown in Fig. 6, and by providing laterally projecting lugs 21 near these ends and forming holes in said lugs they may be kept connected together by inverted U-shaped links 22, the downwardly projecting legs of which enter the openings in the lugs 21. Then soconnected the wheels may pass readily from one replacer to the other with little or no jar and without danger of running off.

\Vhat I claim is 7 i 1. A car replacer com 'arising a body formed on its upper face with a central longitudinal rib for the tread of a wheel, said rib having parallel sides and extending from end to end of the body, a flange projecting from the body oneach side of said rib above the top of therib and parallel therewith, said flanges beingas long as the body and spaced from the rib sufliciently' grooves for the wheel far to form parallel flanges,

either direction,

may travel along i end of the body, and a flange projecting It is to be noted that the two sides of the a pair of spaced lugs depending from the under side of said replacer at one end to engage the head of a track-rail on each side and lock said end of the replacer to said rail against lateral displacement in and a removable clamp adapted to be swiveled to either flange of said replacer and engage the head of the track-rail for holding said replacer in proper relation to the track-rail.

2. A car replacer comprising a body formed on its upper face with a central longitudinal rib for the tread of a wheel, having parallel sides and extending from end to from the'body on each side of said rib above the top of the same and parallel with said rib, said flanges being spaced from the rib sufiiciently'far to form parallel grooves for the wheel flanges, said replacer being adapted to be applied on either side of the track rail, spaced lugs on the underside of said replacer at one end to engage the head of a rail, a bolt or threaded bar adapted to extend through an opening in either flange, and a clamping jaw on said bolt or bar adapted to engage the track rail.

3. A car replacer formed on its upper face with a central longitudinal rib extending from end to end of the body having parallel sides of equal height throughout its length, and a flange projecting from the body on each side of said rib above the top of the same and parallel with said rib, said flanges being spaced from the rib sufliciently far to form parallel grooves for the wheel flanges, spaced lugs on the underside of said replacer at one end to engage the head of a track rail, and a fastening lug on each side of the replacer near each end provided with a hole adapted to receive a fastening device.

4. A'car replacer comprising a body having a central longitudinal rib on its upper face and a flange 011 each side of said rib spaced therefrom and projecting above the surface of said rib, said rib and flanges extending parallel with each other from end to end of the body, a lug on each side of the body near each end provided with a hole adapted to receive a fastening device whereby said car replacer may be joined at each end to similar car re I placers to form a continuous temporary track.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand in presence of two subscribing witnesses.

Z'EBULON B. SMITH.

Copies of this patent may be" obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Washington, D. G.

Commissioner of Patents, 

